First Win Over Rangers Keeps Gophers in Playoff Mix

MADISON, N.J. — Goucher, which had never before defeated Drew in the sport of men's soccer, established itself as a serious contender for a berth in the Landmark Conference's upcoming postseason tournament by knocking off the Rangers, 1-0, this afternoon.

Prior to today, the Gophers' best result in eight head-to-head encounters was a 1-1 draw back in 2013.

As was the case in Goucher's 1-0 triumph over Scranton last Saturday, freshman midfielder Ellis Martin (Verona, N.J./Verona) tallied the goal in today's contest, heading a loose ball in the box into the bottom left corner at 59:42.

Martin scored in the 68th minute when the Gophers downed the Royals.

Drew outshot head coach Bryan Laut's squad, 18-0, in the first 45 minutes of today's contest, but Daniel Hendry (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) kept the Rangers (10-3-2, 2-2-1 Landmark) off the scoreboard by making five saves.

The freshman goalkeeper stopped four more shots in the second half on the way to his third shutout of the season.

"I could not be any prouder of this group," commented Laut. "We were staring at an 0-3 start in the league and instead of quitting, they kept believing and came up with back-to-back huge conference wins. We have had numerous players sacrifice and play positions they have never played before for the benefit of the group and our freshman keep growing every game.

"This win puts us right back into the mix and we are excited for these upcoming two weeks."

The Gophers (5-8-1, 2-3 Landmark) will go for a third straight Landmark Conference win when they welcome Elizabethtown to Beldon Field at 7 p.m. Wednesday.